Tag Archives: Kevin Barrington

The recreation of a defensive barricade in Aleppo, Syria erected last year at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

Berlin Aleppo

I’m a Dublin dog
Barking mad
The sky ripped with Chinese explosion
I’m a cat in Idlib
howling at the bloody moon
crisscrossed by irate fighter
I am a Raqqa rat
Loving it!
Glad we stayed
Unlike Aleppo foxes scuttling away
Some now thinking of return
We hear
But to what?
Fleeing over greedy land, heartless sea, bitter border guard and always the indiscriminate baton
Walking
Walking
Walking
Spittle
Anger
Suspicion
The chorus:
”Fuck off home’
Home
Home?
Angry spitting crowds bearing batons.
Cowering, why why enough enough
Others came with care and clothing
To be fair
And we were suspicious
cos they sought nothing in return.
Suspicious of kindness
But not far the noise, the noise
‘FUCK OFF HOME’ they roared
Home
Home?
‘Where is my home? Do I have a home?’ my friend asked.
Then he went into the trees
Into the silence
Then in the quiet of night
A small window lured him
Into the still grand life of Berlin’s fabled Pergamon
There inside:
Aleppo
Aleppo
Ancient Aleppo
Before the dust
In all its quirky courtyard beauty
Aleppo
before the mosaic of madness
Aleppo
My dusty ruined friend
Aleppo
Here you are now .
Here we are now.
Both you and I together at last
at this forbidden time
This city that knows the destruction of ours.
I lie down and weep.
Amongst our pristine beauty
My roars, my tears, my howls, my art, my city, my country!
Roar as alarms shriek across Berlin city
And here some will say no gratitude
Other will pray for salvation.
Pray for salvation.

It’s always a good mad mash up of music and word, an anarchic arc taking you from folk to rap, bards to beats. Money in hat. And a great night guaranteed. Kicks off 8pm this time because of the extensive line-up…